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THE HERESY OF PARSON 
MEDLICOTT 






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THE HERESY OF PARSON 
MEDLICOTT 


BY^ 

IMOGEN CLARK 


AUTHOR OF 

“The Victory of Ezry Gardner.” 



NEW YORK 

THOMAS Y. CROWELL & CO. 
PUBLISHERS 

1 


Library of Concir««s 

‘!wo Copies Received 


JUL 11 1900 

C^yrigM«ntry 

SECOND COPY. 


Oeliyertd to 


ORDER DIVISION, 

JUL 25 1900 


66153 

Copyright, 1900 

By Thomas Y. Crowell & Company 


00- ceioxs 


THE HERESY OF PARSON 
MEDLICOTT. 


There was no doubt but that Parson Medlicott 
failed in his later days ; at least that was the ver- 
dict of Broadmeadows. Certainly he grew slower 
in step, hearing, and sight — the hearing, in espe- 
cial, of evil against others, and the sight of little 
petty defects which are the grain of humanity 
itself. One thing about him, however, remained 
young despite all the mutabilities of life : he came 
to old age with the heart of a little child. Broad- 
meadows, noting the encroachments of the years 
upon her pastor with apologetic leniency, con- 
temned particularly this trustful simplicity on his 
part. It seemed an evidence of spiritual blind- 
ness, an ossification of conscience — a result that 
of old age surely ! — that made the lapse of doc- 
trinal wisdom so apparent. In short, the parson 
was too tolerant. As he expressed it himself, he 
was fond of the sunny side of the way.^^ 

But one side of the road has to be in shadow,^^ 
objected Dr. Aldham, whose pessimism was as bit- 


6 HEItESY OF PARSON MEDLICOTT. 

ter as Ms pills, and who had undertaken to point 
out to the minister the defects of his system. 

^^Then come over where I am,’’ laughed the 
parson ; there ’s plenty of room and plenty of 
God’s sunshine for ns all.” 

What could be said in extenuation of one who 
thus trifled away the serious questions of life ? 
A spasm of righteous indignation coursed up and 
down Broadmeadows ; the gravity of the situation 
was alarming. The kindest thing, of course, was 
to acknowledge that the old man was failing, but 
such an admission curtails the power, if any re- 
mains, in the person himself. From that hour the 
sun of Parson Medlicott’s supremacy hastened 
toward its setting. 

It seemed as if, after that voicing of his philos- 
ophy, — if such it could be called, — every one in 
Broadmeadows fell to watching the minister and 
treasuring up scraps of his talk, not to find little 
nuggets of gold imbedded therein, but to turn and 
sift, and sift again, until only slag remained. And 
the pity of it was that he was unconscious of this 
secret tribunal where he was daily arraigned as he 
passed blithely among them, a tall, bowed figure 
in a broad-brimmed felt hat and clerical clothes, 
whose original black had grown greenish from 
long service, with his little dog — his inseparable 
companion — pressing close at his side. Such was 


HEBESY OF PABSON MEDLICOTT. 7 


the honesty of the man, however, that, had he 
been aware of this scrutiny of his words and 
deeds, he would not have altered them by an 
iota. Still there was no doubt that he was en- 
tangling himself in a net wrought by his own 
carelessness. 

There Avas that day, for instance, when he had 
talked so long Avith Mrs. Thurston^s brother, who 
in his travels about the world had outgrown the 
simple Broadmeadows faith and Avas indeed of no 
religion. Did the parson seek to reclaim him ? Did 
he point out the evils of non church-going ? Ac- 
cording to Oswald Shawls own testimony, ^^the 
parson had not talked shop.’’ The conversation 
had been mainly of foreign countries, bits of expe- 
rience out of the traveller’s scrip, to which the old 
man had listened with avidity ; he had only spoken 
to tell some pretty stiff stories about the intelli- 
gence, of the small terrier at his feet. 

Then there was that day — that gray, misty 
Sunday in early June — when he had encountered 
Judge Dana and his guest, the noted lawyer from 
the city, both of them in old clothes, taking the 
short cut past the parsonage, — the short cut that 
every one in Broadmeadows knew led to North 
Brook. He had actually stopped to speak to them, 
and Miss Cornelia Slater, walking slowly by on the 
opposite side of the way, had heard the entire con- 


8 HERESY OF PARSON MEDLICOTT, 

versation. Not a mention of church, not even a 
word of warning or expostulation, only a genial 
interchange of greetings. Miss Cornelia could 
hardly believe her ears. She could see, if her 
minister could not, the fishing-rods the two men 
carried ; still, there were people in Broadmeadows 
who maintained that age was dimming the clerical 
eyes, and the remark the old man let fall as he 
turned away convinced the listener that this in- 
firmity was accountable for his neglect of duty. 

It ’s a fine day,’^ he said, then he repeated half 
wistfully, a fine day.’’ 

Miss Cornelia cast a quick glance at the soft, 
gray sky. The air was damp and cool against her 
cheek and sweet with the fragrance of June, yet 
there was the hint of coming rain in its breath. 
A sunless day — and he had called it fine ! Poor 
old Parson Medlicott ! Her pity lessened consid- 
erably when the lens of masculine intelligence dis- 
closed the hidden meaning of the phrase. The 
defect on the delinquent’s part was what Dr. Aid- 
ham pronounced a case of moral strabismus,” 
but Miss Cornelia herself called it winking at 
sin. 

Meanwhile the charges against the parson were 
accumulating with lamentable rapidity. His fond- 
ness for novel-reading, his delight in a joke, and, 
more than all, his attitude toward the children. 


HERESY OF PARSON MEDLICOTT. 9 


convicted him on every side. It was supposed, by 
those who knew, that a minister should so comport 
himself that the youth in his charge should regard 
him with sentiments of awe and reverence. But 
Parson Medlicott, with his laughing, cheery words 
and his faithful dog, inspired no such feelings 
among the children of Broad meadows — he was 
their friend, and more, he was one of them. The 
climax of his misdemeanors, however, was reached 
when little Tony Dana was rescued from drowning 
by the Judge’s great dog, Don, at the expense of 
the latter’s life. 

The boy was inconsolable at the loss of his friend^ 
and the Judge himself openly sorrowed with him, 
but he could give no satisfactory answers to the 
volley of anxious questions with which he was 
assailed. He had not been ashamed of the mist 
in his eyes when the noble old fellow lay deaf and 
still for the first time to the sound of his voice, 
and the child’s piercing cry, Is this the end ? ” 
had awakened a similar one in his own breast. 

Go ask the dominie,” he said at last ; he can 
tell you better than I — I don’t know.” 

So to the dominie Tony went. The study door 
was closed, but a pleasant voice bade him enter, 
and he set it wide gladly. The unpretentious 
room was like some simple shrine which many had 
sought burdened with griefs and doubts, going 


10 HERESY OF PARSON MEDLICOTT. 


thence comforted in great measure ; the perplex- 
ities of life always assumed lesser proportions in 
its peaceful atmosphere than elsewhere. But no 
deeper bitterness of heart than little Tony Dana’s 
had ever gone there for relief. 

The child hesitated after closing the door behind 
him, though the kindliest face in the world was 
turned his way, and the friendliest hand extended 
in welcome. It was only a step to where the 
parson sat, but for a long minute the boy waited. 
Between him and that chair where comprehension 
stayed for his grief stood Major, the parson’s dog, 
— a little, useless fox-terrier who had never saved 
a person’s life, who had never done anything great 
or noble. Just an old, rheumatic, half-blind dog — 
and yet he was alive ! The boy’s breast swelled 
with resentment ; he could not pass him. The dog 
advanced closer, making friendly overtures, and 
the master sat watching the scene with eyes which 
all Broadmeadows thought were failing, though 
they saw deep into child nature, and seeing — 
understood. 

Major,” he called softly, I want you.” 

The next moment the boy stooped and patted 
the small head with a trembling hand. Parson 
Medlicott removed his glasses. ^^Well — little 
man.” 

The voice was a caress, the touch of the encir- 


HERESY OF PARSON MEDLICOTT. 11 


cling arm was tenderness itself ; under its embrace 
the tenseness in the child’s breast was loosened, he 
breathed more freely. He crept close to the old 
man’s side and leaned against his shoulder. 

It ’s — it ’s about Don, sir. Sarah says he ’s of 
the beasts that perish, and Thomas thinks there ’s 
no doubt about it. But it can’t — can’t be. He 
saved me from drowning, sir ; he laid down his 
life for another’s sake, you know. I should think 
that ought to count for something.” 

Surely — surely.” 

“ I don’t want to go to Heaven if Don is n’t there. 
It would be lonesome if he was n’t at the gate to 
meet me — you know how — and glad to see me 
no end. I should think there ’d be plenty of room 
up there, and he never was an interferin’ dog. 
Gran’ma says it’s scand’lous to talk this way, 
and mother ’s sorry about Don, only she agrees 
with gran’ma, and — and — gran’pa is sorrier than 
all the others put together, but he does n’t know — 
he said you ’d tell me.” 

The child’s voice broke with the stress of his 
inquiry; he turned his eager eyes upon the par- 
son, who seemed lost in thought. It was very 
still. From somewhere in the house a clock 
struck four, slowly and distinctly, and in the 
room itself one of the logs in the fireplace dropped 
asunder and a shower of glittering sparks sput- 


12 HERESY OF PARSON MEDLICOTT. 


tered out on the hearth. The Major gave a little 
yap of disgust and retreated to a safer distance. 

^^He said you’d tell me,” the boy cried shrilly, 
letting his hands fly out in sudden wild des- 
peration. 

So I will, Tony, so I will. This is a sad time 
for you, little man, for you ’ve lost a dear friend, 
— we understand, you and I, how dear a dog 
friend can be, — and, moreover, Don gave his life 
for yours, as you say, — he was faithful unto 
death ! And now questions that have puzzled 
older and wiser heads are troubling you. You 
want to know about Don’s future. Well, I believe 
that all that measure of love, and faithfulness, 
and trust cannot be lost. If the earth was wide 
enough to hold it. Heaven will not crowd it out, 
else, missing it, it would not be Heaven.” 

The child drew a deep breath and laid his tear- 
stained cheek against the time-furrowed one. 

Gran’pa said you could tell,” he whispered, 

‘^In just what likeness I cannot say,” the man 
went on, but one thing is sure : the memory of 
Don will abide as tangible as the presence, and — 
very likely, the presence — who knows — who 
knows ? God is more loving than any words of 
ours can frame, little lad. It does n’t do to doubt 
him.” 

In that way Tony Dana found peace, and when 


HEBE ST OF PARSON MEDLICOTT. 13 


he left the study some time later it was with a 
vastly lighter heart. He moved along confidently 
and even passed with a steady step through the 
home gate where no dog ran to meet him, though a 
great lump rushed chokingly into his throat. He 
went directly to the library and unburdened his 
content to the Judge, sitting there in sore per- 
plexity ; after that he sought his mother and 
grandmother in the drawing-room, where, in his 
excitement, — oblivious to the visitors present, — 
he poured forth a happy jumble of incoherent 
sentences wherein the only things clear were the 
fact of Don’s eternal salvation and the boy’s 
declaration that he was going to try to be just as 
faithful and noble as Don — so Parson Medlicott 
had said. Those soft, childish lips that had 
pressed a kiss of gratitude upon the wrinkled 
cheek were unwittingly the ones to betray the old 
man to the people of Broadmeadows. 

The next evening Squire Poindexter, Dr. Aid- 
ham, and little Mr. Loring waited upon the parson 
— Judge Dana, whose voice was of considerable 
authority in local matters, absolutely refusing to 
make one of the party. They found him in his 
study reading by the light of the green-shaded 
lamp upon his table, while the Major snored peace- 
fully upon the rug. 

At their entrance the parson laid down his 


14 HERESY OF PARSON MEBLICOTT. 

book and advanced to meet them. It was no indi- 
vidual grief that had brought them collectively, on 
so cold a night, to his door — of that he was aware ; 
but the gravity of their faces indicated the impor- 
tance of their errand and set him wondering. 
There had been innumerable demands made upon 
his strength that day and he was more than 
ordinarily fatigued; still his welcome lacked no 
whit of its usual warmth. He had on a long black 
dressing-gown, girded at the waist by a cord, 
which gave him an odd, monk-like appearance and 
increased the frailty of his slender, bowed figure, 
while the tempered light made his hair seem whiter 
than usual. There was no doubt that he was old 
— old. The Major, as if mindful of his duties as 
host, got up stiffly from his slumbers and went for- 
ward to proffer his greetings also, but finding his 
presence ignored, he retreated to his master’s side 
and regarded the newcomers with disapproval. 

We felt we should find you at your books,” 
Mr. Loring said airily, after the three men had 
seated themselves and the parson was about to 
resume his chair. Some polemical treatise, sir ; 
you put us to shame with your untiring zeal.” 

The parson threw back his head, laughing like a 
boy. ^^Ho polemical treatises for me,” he de- 
clared ; I gave ’em up long ago. This is a 
romance full of stir, and dash, and glory — won- 


HERESY OF PARSOH MEDLICOTT. 15 


derful, wonderful ; with a thread of a love story- 
through it all that makes a man eighteen again.” 

Squire Poindexter cleared his throat ominously 
and shot a furtive glance at his companions. 

^^Oh, a little mental recreation of that sort is 
excellent,” he said a minute later in a large, 
tolerant voice which seemed to be wondering at 
itself and which set his friends gaping with 
astonishment ; the saying about J ack holds good 
in every case. And there ^s no doubt you Ve earned 
your play — you Ve been a long time in the field, 
sir.” 

The parson pressed the tips of his fingers 
together meditatively and looked smilingly at his 
guests. 

^^More than fifty years,” he answered, ^^and 
thirty-five of ^em spent in Broadmeadows. It ^s 
wearing on to sundown, friends.” 

There was no reply to the little sally, each man 
thinking it clearly the other man’s cue to speak, 
and just then, as if to make it easier for them, the 
Major, who had borne social ostracism long enough, 
started to take possession of the vacant chair. 
His master lifted him up gently, making him com- 
fortable on the cushion, then he seated himself by 
the little animal’s side, crowding into as small a 
space as possible. 

You are very fond of your dog, sir.” 


16 HERESY OF PARSON MEDLICOTT. 


It was half question half assertion ; there was 
a tentative quality in the hesitating tone. 

The old man raised his unsuspecting eyes from 
the small head he was caressing and glanced at the 
speaker, then he looked about the room almost 
wearily. There was a moment’s silence before he 
spoke. 

^^You come from a house, Squire,” he said 
gently, where there are many voices — a wife’s 
voice and the chatter and laughter of little children. 
There are pleasant voices in your home, Mr. 
Loring, and in yours, too. Doctor, but here you 
find no such happy echoes. My youth was full of 
loneliness. I had no close ties, and when — when 
I sought to form one, that was denied me. There 
has only been one chair at my fireside through all 
the years, and that my own. But I have been rich 
in friends, thank God, faithful friends, — young 
and old, — and yet there have been times of dis- 
couragement and failure when I have longed for 
the nearer companionship of wife and children. 
You never suspected that in the old man, did you ? 
One day, eleven years ago, a young lad whom I — 
who fancied I had aided him, came to bid me good- 
by ; he was going West to begin life afresh there, 
and he brought me a mite of a dog. I had no 
need for the little creature, and besides I was 
afraid Deborah wouldn’t like it, but I couldn’t 


HERESY OF PARSON MEBLICOTT. 17 


hurt the boy’s feelings, so I accepted his gift. I 
remember I felt as awkward as any country lout 
brought suddenly into fine company when I found 
myself alone with that little fox-terrier puppy. 
He barked for a long time at me, evidently think- 
ing I had driven his friend away, then finally, 
tired out, he came whimpering up to make a pact 
of peace. I lifted him on my knee and he settled 
down with a satisfied sigh, resting his head on my 
hand. I sat very still looking at him after he had 
fallen asleep, and suddenly it occurred to me that 
he was my own. The thought was especially 
comforting, because it had been a day of sore 
trial when my loneliness had pressed heavily upon 
me. 

During the week that followed I was a dozen 
minds about keeping the little fellow, and every 
day I studied him with keener interest, watching 
the trust and love grow in his eyes as I would 
watch the unfolding of some beautiful flower. He 
may have studied me in like fashion. I cannot say. 
I only know the friendship between us streng- 
thened with every passing hour. There is a vast 
difference, believe me, between coming home to a 
silent house and hearing only your own steps break 
the stillness, and in coming back to a warmhearted 
welcome, even if it be given by a dog. You feel 
there is some one who cares. For eleven years 


18 HERESY OF PARSON MEBLICOTT. 


now this little friend has had that welcome for 
me. Gentlemen, I love my dog.’^ 

^^But surely you do not believe in any future 
state for him ? He has no soul ’’ — 

Hot as we have, I grant you ; yet so good a 
man as John Wesley believed implicitly in the 
future state of animals. ^ They too,’ he said, ‘ are 
immortal.’ And why not — why not ? If I am 
made happier here by the wealth of love in this 
little breast, shall I be happier there missing it ?. 
Is n’t Heaven large enough to hold all this fidelity 
and nobleness of heart ? Shall we place bounds 
to God’s goodness ? ” He paused abruptly ; by a 
lightning’s fiash of intuition the reason of their 
coming was made clear to him. A wave of color 
surged into his face. 

I said something like this to little Tony Dana 
yesterday,” he added simply. 

The whole town knows it, the whole town is 
shocked by it. Your motive was undoubtedly 
prompted by kindness, but it was ill-advised — it 
was begging the question. It was comforting the 
boy at the expense of his spiritual welfare ” — 
Stop ! ” thundered Parson Medlicott ; ^^it was 
no such thing. He came to me in great distress 
and I helped him as far as lay in my power. 
People laugh at and minimize the sorrows of child- 
hood, but they are often harder to bear than those 


HEBESY OF PARSON MEDLICOTT, 19 


which are fitted upon older shoulders. Besides, 
this was no trifling sorrow, it was a real grief, such 
as would have laid my own heart bare had it be- 
fallen me. Tony had lost a friend, though you and 
others say he was only a dog.^’ 

Admitted that the boy suffered,’^ Mr. Loring 
interposed shrilly, ^^but that was no reason why 
you should give him the impression you did. It 
was pernicious — there is no other word ! It pains 
me, sir, to take this stand against one whom for 
years I have deeply admired, but I ’’ — 

The minister pushed back his chair and rose to 
his feet, cutting short the other’s eloquence ; with- 
out a word of apology he crossed the room. Four 
pairs of wondering eyes were turned upon him as 
he opened the door of the cabinet above the mantel 
and took out a small vase, then he returned to the 
table carrying it carefully against his breast. It 
was a bit of Salviati glass that had been brought 
him from Venice by a parishioner, and all Broad- 
meadows had laughed at the incongruity of the 
gift. He held it close to the lamp, letting the light 
accentuate the exquisite shape with its delicate 
coloring of rose and green and amber and the 
gleaming incrustations of gold. For the moment 
he seemed oblivious to his guests, who looked first 
at him, as if they doubted his sanity, and then at 
one another in corroboration of the theory. 


20 HERESY OF PARSON MEDLICOTP 


Beautiful/’ he murmured half aloud, ^^beauti- 
ful; and yet the slightest jar would shiver it to 
atoms.” He raised his head and regarded his 
companions with something like sternness in his 
benignant face. ‘^It is not so beautiful as a 
child’s faith, nor so fragile. If I break this I am 
accountable to no one but myself — it is my 
own. If I break the other, by whom shall I 
stand arraigned ? What can I say in excuse of 
my careless stewardship ? You do not think it 
foolish in me because, knowing how brittle this 
bit of glass is, I put it out of harm’s way, do 
you? That is all I did with Tony Dana’s faith. 
I put it into the hands of God for safe-keeping, 
out of the reach of a doubt that might have 
crushed it irreparably.” He shook back his hair, 
a slow smile gathering in his eyes. I know no 
more than Tony in this matter, friends ; we are 
both of us little children trusting a Father’s love.” 

He restored the vase to its shelf, then he came 
back to his chair and stood looking down gravely. 

They say no two persons see the same thing 
exactly alike,” he went on after an appreciable 
interval, ^Gt’s what each brings to the seeing, I 
think, as well as the angle of vision, that makes 
the difference. And we all have our ideas of 
Heaven — you yours, I mine; ’t would be folly to 
quarrel about ’em. For myself, it is not so much 


HERESY OF PARSON MEDLICOTF 21 


tlie golden streets that I hope to see as it is the 
flowers — such flowers as I have known here, the 
little common ones that make a glory of wayside 
and gardens — and the faces of my friends, not 
one alone, but all.^^ He stooped as he spoke and 
touched the dog fondly, then he raised his head 
and looked directly at his judges. 

I was not quite honest when I brought J ohn 
Wesley^s name into this discussion,’’ he said, his 
face reddening slightly. It is true I hoped 
to impress you and disarm criticism because a 
worthier man than I had had the courage to 
express his convictions, heedless of the world’s 
approval. I — I beg your pardon, and his as 
well. What are John Wesley, Charles Kingsley, 
and. the rest of those fearless thinkers to me ? 
I am willing to stand alone in this matter with- 
out the support of any man living or dead, and 
I ask no one to share this belief with me.” 

This is sadly unorthodox,” murmured Mr. 
Loring, while his companions sat with down-cast 
eyes, blind to his mute appeal for support, — sadly. 
It was partly because of these — ah ! — these 
views of yours that we are here to-night. You 
cannot imagine the consternation they have caused 
throughout the town.” 

The parson let his glance stray for a moment 
to the thrilling romance upon the table, and from 


22 HERESY OF PARSON MEDLICOTT. 

it to the excited face opposite. I ’m sorry/’ he 
said gently, ^^but I cannot change ’em.” 

^^Mr. Loring is right in saying they have dis- 
turbed us,” Squire Poindexter hastened to bridge 
over the awkward pause. Our visit, however, 
is due to another project. It has occurred to us, 
sir, that at your advanced age your duties must 
be very arduous, and we have concluded you need 
an assistant ” — 

“ Eh ! ” interrupted the parson slowly, eh ! ” 

We should still want an occasional sermon 
from you, and I suppose our young folks would n’t 
think they were properly married unless you did 
the coupling. There ’d be demands enough on 
your time once we made you pastor emeritus, 
but the burden of the labor would be lifted to 
other shoulders.” 

It ’s to spare, you, sir,” little Mr. Loring chimed 
in, what ” — 

^‘I don’t want to be spared,” Parson Medli* 
cott cried hotly; I haven’t complained, have I ? 
There’s mettle still in the old man, and ink 
enough in the inkstand for new sermons ; when 
they give out I ’ve a barrel full of old ones — • 
what ’s worth hearing once is worth hearing again. 
You needn’t fear I’d fail you.” 

Tut ! tut ! we ’ve implicit confidence in your 
abilities, and though at times we think you over- 




HERESY OF PARSON MEDLICOTT, 23 


tolerant, we know it your nature to hate sin, and 
yet love the sinner, and to be ready to pardon 
every incompetency ; still it has been deemed 
wisest to have a younger man to cooperate with 
you. We have taken no definite steps, hoping you 
might indicate some one ” — 

I — I will serve you, but for the mom?ent I 
cannot think.’^ 

Oh, as to that, it ’s all in the air at present ; a 
few weeks hence will do.’’ 

The men rose with evident relief and prepared 
to go. 

^‘You must take more care of yourself, domi- 
nie,” the doctor blustered with an attempt at 
cheeriness. Jaunts over to Little Silver to see old 
Betsy Fleming are out of the question. I saw you 
there this afternoon. She ’s good for a number of 
years, so the next time she sends for you, don’t 
humor her. It ’s too far — you must be very tired.” 

Ye-es, I am tired. I had not thought of it 
before.” 

You ’ll like this idea of an assistant once you ’re 
used to it. It ’s a good thing to rest with folded 
hands after one’s work is done. A few years 
hence I shall look about for a successor myself” — 

Do so, sir, do so, before you hear the word that 
puts you without the door.” 

Dominie — parson ! ” 


24 HERESY OF PARSON MEDLICOTT. 


There, there, forget it all. The old man is 
bitter and peevish ; bear with him, friends. Yes, 
yes, you Ye right about a new hand at the helm — 
we ’ll talk of it again, and soon. It will be better 
so — better so.” 

He followefd them into the hall, while Mr. Loring 
explained at length the duties of a pastor emer- 
itus, and Squire Poindexter expatiated upon the 
esteem and veneration with which Broadmeadows 
regarded, and always would regard, her beloved 
parson. The doctor alone said nothing as he 
hurried his voluble companions away ; the sight of 
the pain in the old man’s face had placed a heavy 
check upon his own tongue. He glanced back 
from the gate at their host standing on the door- 
step, a black-robed, silver-haired figure holding a 
lamp aloft to guide their steps, and by his side that 
faithful friend of his looking gravely out into the 
darkness of the night. 

The parson closed the door after a moment and 
went back into his study. He stood gazing about 
him for a time with unseeing eyes, then he seated 
himself again at the table, but made no effort to 
resume his book, nor did he notice the dog at his 
feet trying to jump up to his knees. Sometimes 
the Major could take the leap easily; at others 
he seemed to doubt his own powers and would hes- 
itate, making futile springs ; then finally, van- 


HERESY OF PARSON MEDLICOTT, 25 


quished by his fear, he would settle back on his 
haunches, looking piteously for aid to the hand 
that had never failed him. He went through this 
small pantomime now, whimpering softly until the 
man, attracted by the sound, lifted the supplicant 
in his arms. 

Old, little fellow,” he said slowly ; why, so 
am I — so am I. And they Ve tired of me after all 
these years — that ’s what it means, despite their 
fair words.” He pressed the dog against his 
breast, his resentment dying down on the instant. 
After a while he went on, murmuring disjointed 
sentences half aloud: 

Through the burden and the heat of the day 
till sundown — Eh ! they mean it kindly — they 
mean it kindly — they ’re full of tolerance for my 
shortcomings. Yet I ’d hoped to die in harness — 
wear out, not rust out. How we cling to our brief 
authority, thinking we and we only can be of use ! ” 
He was silent for a few moments. 

What ’s that Emerson says ? H-m ! how does 
it go ? ^ It ’s time to be old, to take in sail.’ Yes, 
that ’s it — apt ! apt ! — and those other lines : 

“ ‘ As the bird trims her to the gale 

I trim myself to the storm of time, 

I man the rudder, reef the sail; 

Obey tlie voice at eve, obeyed at prime.’ ” 

He let a long pause intervene ; then, with a 


26 HERESY OF PARSON MEDLICOTT. 

sudden straightening of his bowed shoulders, he 
sat erect and repeated the rest of the poem as 
though the words possessed a significance unper- 
ceiyed until that moment : 

“ ^ Lowly, faithful, banish fear. 

Right onward drive unharmed ; 

The port, well worth the cruise, is near. 

And every Avave is charmed.’ ” 

His voice dropped into silence, his hand fell to 
the little head nestled against his breast. He 
raised the dog higher and, with a gentle touch, 
turned the slender muzzle upward until the Major’s 
eyes, dewy with sleep and yet alert to the demand, 
looked directly back into his own. For a long 
minute master and dog gazed at each other, love 
and faith on either side, then a sudden beautiful 
smile broke over the old man’s face. 

^^We can trust, little comrade,” he said softly, 
^^we can trust.” 


97 





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